A Study for Prick Test Reactivities to Allergen, Peripheral Blood Eosinophils, and Serum IgE Levels in Patients with Urticaria and Atopic Dermatitis in Chuncheon and the Northern Kangwon Province

Kim, Sang Dong; Chung, Seung Joon; Lee, Weon Ju; Koo, Dae Won

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis and urticaria are relatively common dermatologic diseases and several reports on skin prick test reactivity have been presented in Korea. However, there has not been any report on the skin prick test reactivity of Chuncheon and the Northern Kangwon Province.
OBJECTIVE
This study was done for the evaluation of correlation of the skin prick test reactivities, peripheral blood eosinophils, and total serum IgE levels in 143 patients with urticaria and 107 patients with atopic dermatitis in Chuncheon and the Northern Kangwon Province.
METHODS
We performed the skin prick test with 85 allergens and the evaluations of peripheral blood eosinophils and total serum IgE levels in 250 patients at the department of dermatology in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University during a 4-Year-Period from Aug. 1995 to Aug. 1999.
RESULTS
1.In the patients with urticaria, the sex ratio of male to female of 143 patients was 1:1.6, and third and sixth decades occupied 39% in male patients, and forth and fifth decades occupied 44% in female patients. In the patients with atopic dermatitis, the sex ratio of male to female of 107 patients was 1:1.1, and third decade occupied 47% in male patients and 42% in female patients. 2.Monthly peak incidence was July in the patients with urticaria(P<0.05) and August in the patients with atopic dermatitis(P>0.05), and seasonal analysis was statistically insignificant(P>0.05). 3.The positive reactivities to allergens in the patients with urticaria and atopic dermatitis were 60.8% and 69.2%, respectively. 4.In the patients with urticaria, the skin prick test reactivities to allergens were D. farinae(28.7%), D. pteronissnus(25.9%), cultivated maize pollen(18.2%), hay dust(13.3%), threshings(9.1%) in decreasing order, whereas in the patients with atopic dematitis; D. pteronissnus(43.9%), D. farinae(41.9%), ugwort pollen(15.9%), cultivated maize pollen(13.1%), cat fur(12.1%). When our study results were compared with previous reports from other regions in Korea, cultivated maize pollen revealed relatively high positive reactivity in the skin prick test. 5. In the patients with urticaria and atopic dermatitis, increase of peripheral blood eosinophil were encountered in 16.8% and 38.7%, respectively, but statistically significant difference of peripheral blood eosinophil between the prick test-positive group and prick test-negative group was not observed in both patients with urticaria and those with atopic dermatitis. 6. In the patients with urticaria and atopic dermatitis, increase of total serum IgE levels were encountered in 64.2% and 70%, respectively. Statistically significant difference of total serum IgE levels between the prick test-positive group and the prick test-negative group was observed in the patients with urticaria.
CONCLUSION
The results of our study were similar to those of reports from other regions in Korea, except for higher reactivity of skin prick test to cultivated maize pollen. The difference of reactivity of skin prick test to cultivated maize pollen between our study and others is thought to be due to the regional characteristic of Chuncheon and the Northern Kangwon Province. But the difference of results between patients with atopic dermatitis and normal persons in Chuncheon and the Northern Kangwon Province is not statistically significant.